Rock Island daily Argus., 1887-06-23
GLOOMY OUTLOOK.

Troublesome Perplexity Coneerntns
the Effect OF the Commerce Commits
ston's Decision on steamboat Traf
he--Rafters Being Tied up.
steamboat owners and officers ol
steamboats,, are regarding the recent de.
cision OF the inter. state commission with
good deal of anxiety, and 1t is the all,
: absorbing topic with them at the agep
cies on the levee. Federal legislation has
compelled the owners of steam vessels TO
conform to many requirements, often in
furious and not always or altogether
necessary. So when congress legislated
against the railroad, the vessel owners
ieit that 1t was but the exercise of y
right as to one carrier that has been as.
serted as against the other, and they
Knew, that while the act was passed NOT
10 benefit them Or injure the railroad, but
In Difference to popular demand vet
incidentally it would be the means of nro.
tecting them from what they believe to
be deliberate design of the railroad to
oriVe them from the field of competition
'Ihe steamboatmen, many of them, be,
iieVe that congress should have included
all common carriers within the provisions
OF the bill, and the omission as to them
they feared would be used to ADVANTAGE
and that fear was justified they now be-
iieYe. As rule the law would not have
affected them, for as a rule they claim
more is charged by river for long than
for short hauls.
Inc steamboatmen believe that the ruI.
ing OF the commission practically leaves
the conditions as they were before the
passage of the bill, for there will be but
lew, II any. violations of section re.
ported IN which water competition will
not De more or less successfully urged in /,
Justification. The railroads theory of
what constitutes water competition and {
'hose OF the steamboat do not agree, and -,
Dy the light experience the steamboatmen
rear that the commission are inclined to
iccept those advanced by the railroad An t
'xchange says that upon basis of fair t
competition the steamboatmen claim that
hey can hold their own against all COM
RS, but they fall like grass before tho
eSthe IN contending with the competi-
lon as praeticed by the railroads, a meth
NJ that has within the last five wears
hanged the transportation of cotton to il
'e" Orleans from LOST, $50 bales bv
iVer ana o2S'slS by rail to LIS, $50 by m
Ill and 635,4 by river. So the rail. 70
'ads have swinged the traffic of fbe ~
'"eF as well as the upper Mississippi. in
II Is because OF lust such diversion of te
e lrafnc BY river as this that the steams Oh
'at interest is declining and against the co
efeliess and systematic applications of an
nlch the steamboatmen claim tbav 90, NJ.
intend no longer The steamboatmen Mi
Inn that the time is now when mer- n;
ants and others must make their selec- Mr.
H. Tor without their help they must Lu
'h'ioh the held to the railroad aud the a an
mall Try" class of steamboats, that will onr one
oL as little service to commerce as hurt Wa
the railroad. They say that the steam,
1t has done good service in the past
contributing to the prosperity of COM T
oities' and they may yet serve a good sire sti
pose, but not if they are left to them. "h
'es III contending with railroads under rom
ruling of the commission as nnder. n
I'd by them. s,cj
RAFrERS TYING Trp | tern